Swansea tyre fire directors plead guilty

The fire at Fforestfach Industrial Estate in 2011 caused homes to be evacuated and schools to close. Credit: ITV

Two company directors have today admitted illegally storing more than 6,000 tons of tyres which caught fire causing three weeks of disruption in Swansea.

The blaze cost £1.8m to put out and Swansea crown court heard today it will cost a further £1m to dispose of the rest of the tyres.

Scott Phillips, aged 44, of Main Road, Bryncoch, Neath and Peter Thomas, 67, of Heol Cadifor, Penlan, Swansea, today admitted allowing controlled waste to be stored at an industrial unit on the Fforestfach Industrial Estate without the necessary permits.

The court heard the cause of the fire was still a mystery. An "external source of ignition" had been involved and arson could not be ruled out, although it was not suggested that Phillips or Thomas had been involved. Phillips and Thomas will be sentenced on July 29th.